Castles
by Hermonthis
Summary: Katara/Zuko - “Tell me, how can someone tell if the summer is over?” she asked and he replied, “When the leaves change colour, when the people harvest their crops and when the waterbender decides to leave the man who loves her.” Drabble-series.


Sininsilence over at LJ's _katarazuko_ community proposed a CD challenge as a way of getting more fanfiction written. "…So your mission, should you choose to accept it: pick a CD and use the song titles as chapter/drabble prompts. For bonus points use the band and album name as well. And for bonus points, gold stars and cookies make one continuous story or arc using the titles in the order they're listed on the CD." I couldn't pass up the opportunity. 

Band: The Philosopher Kings  
Album: Castles (2005)

* * *

**PART I: The Philosopher Kings**

_Earth. Water. Air. Fire._ He repeated the mantra out loud as Zuko laid paralysed and bleeding on the cold floor. Sweat from his forehead trickled down his face and fell upon his eyelids. He didn't try brushing it off, the pain in his arms a reminder of Mai's daggers, his sister's friend, the one with the black hair and pale skin. He thought he knew her; she was rather quiet on their journey back from Ba Sing Se. He thought she was nice but not nice enough. Obeying Azula's order she landed four daggers into his body and Ty Lee had done her part to prohibit him from bending.

Painfully raising his left hand, Zuko grasped the edge of one dagger and pulled it free from his arm. He screamed.

_Water. Air. Fire._ He tried to concentrate on his breaths but it was becoming progressively harder. Squinting in his one good eye, he saw that his blood coloured the floor in a strange fashion, like the carvings on a Pai Sho board. Was no one coming? Of course not. It was stupid to abandon Uncle and the Avatar in the midst of battle, believing he was strong enough to catch Azula on his own.

A young man wanting to be king, but he was a small wager in an even bigger game, bigger than he originally thought.

Hues of green, brown, red and blue spun like a kaleidoscope above him whenever he blinked. Uncle and his lotus tile, the Moon and the Avatar, his sister and her lies, Mother - their faces were stretched and distorted like glass. Glass and white light. White, that was the colour he wore at his grandfather's funeral and his father's ascension. Maybe this was a sign that he was going to die alone, such melancholy thoughts for a dying man.

"Hey, who said you were going to die alone?" a voice answered him but it wasn't Uncle.

Katara prodded his chest with a finger (Gently! Gently! He wanted to tell her) and asked him again. He grunted and closed his eyes, returning to his mantra. Frowning, she wasted no time attending to his injuries, starting with the cuts and bruises, the smallest of them all. She spoke in a calm, soothing tone as if she was really confident in her work. After all, he didn't know much about her.

"Zuko, listen to me. I'm going to take care of you but you can't move or it won't work. Work with me, okay?" A water skein hung by her side, its top uncorked.

_Water._ As her hands spread over his face and started glowing, a cooling sensation kissed his skin. All of a sudden, the sweat didn't drip onto Zuko's eyes and his jaw wasn't so swollen anymore. A frown graced her dark face.

_You're worried about me._

"Zuko? Zuko, I need to move you to a better place. Your leg needs medicine, we need to move you." He nodded meekly.

"What did you say?" Katara tilted her head to the side, coming closer to his lips.

"Water," he rasped.

He thought he saw her pout but her hands blocked his vision. Balancing a liquid sphere around her fingers she whispered, "Here." Droplets dribbled down his cheeks as he drank a little from her hands. It wasn't much but it would manage.

"Zuko, I'm going to get help but I'll be right back. You're going to be fine. Stay awake, don't sleep on me, okay?" Katara stood up and all he could see was the hem of her pants and then she was gone. Just like that and without a parting glance. He closed his eyes.

_I'll be here,_ he answered her. _I'll be here._

**Part II: Castles**

Staring absentmindedly out of a window, Katara felt an overwhelming melancholy subdue her earlier excitement. She had just been at the healing huts with the other water tribe women and was currently on her designated break.

That afternoon, several children had been playing too close to a cliff and one had accidentally caused an avalanche, hurting some of them in the process. Luckily Sokka was in the vicinity or else some of those kids would have drowned in the snow.

Leaning her elbows on the sill she released a long, slow breath, watching it form a small fluffy cloud before disappearing. The kids would be fine, just a little shaken.

The sound of footsteps approaching alerted her. She turned around slowly and the fire nation messenger coughed uncomfortably, he was unused to such cold climates.

"Yes?"

"Lady Katara, your presence is needed at the fire nation. It's urgent." Holding out the scroll, she waved him away signalling for privacy before breaking the red seal. Scanning the page, the corners of her mouth turned upwards when she recognized Uncle Iroh's writing. Now, what could this be about?

Katara reread the letter once more for her amusement. There was another assassination attempt on Fire Lord Zuko. The guilty party had been caught but the nation's youngest ruler was ordering another general meeting for all the ambassadors. In the letter, Iroh had written as an afterthought,

"Just the usual." Katara chuckled and traced the lines on the paper.

_Furthermore, to alleviate the anxiety of an old man such as myself to a capable woman such as yourself - Lady Katara, could you please arrive a little earlier than expected?_

_Zuko, no worse for the wear since the last bombing, is causing a ruckus among the physicians. Although he will not admit it, he tells me that the healers of the fire nation are nowhere as skilled as those of the water tribes._

_Please come and teach them a little about the ways of your healing, as they don't like to be on the receiving end of Zuko's temper._

_Don't forget to dress for the weather,  
General Iroh_

The waterbender rolled up the scroll and walked out of the room, feeling much lighter in both body and spirit than earlier that afternoon.

**Chapter 1: Castles in the Sand**

"Katara! I missed you!" The old man hugged her without shame when she reached the bottom of the wooden plank that connected the firenation ship to the docks. It was easy to smile back when one received such a warm welcome from such a jovial person. Turning around, Katara thanked the ship's captain for her safe arrival. Lieutenant Jee grinned and replied,

"The Fire Lord would have it no other way."

Looking around her with saucer-like eyes, Katara inhaled slowly and Iroh wondered if it was possible for the young woman to smile even wider.

"This place is even more beautiful than before." Three years had passed since the passing of Sozin's Comet. Two years since the fire nation named Prince Zuko as their next ruler. Four months since her last visit.

She breathed in deeply, screwing her eyes shut for added effect the sounds and smells of a seaside town. She could physically feel the promise of a new horizon refresh her senses. The weight of two pairs upon her turned her gaze away from the sea.

"So, where's Zuko?"

**Chapter 2: Last Stand**

It was a showdown. Nerves tense, lips snarling like wild animals, their eyes bored into each other's skulls as healer and patient fought a vicious battle of wills.

Katara had her bauble of water ready in her right palm and Zuko had his fireball prepared, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Catching sight of Uncle Iroh standing in the doorway behind his nephew the old man pointed at him meaningfully and opened and closed his mouth in rapid gulps. She raised an eyebrow trying to understand his erratic motions.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you! Are you always this distracted?" The stubborn one shouted at her. The liquid sphere wavered out of shape for an instant. Zuko thought that he had finally unnerved her so he decided to strike first.

"Uncle!" she yelled as the fireball hurled towards her. Deftly moving to the side and extinguishing the flames Katara froze Zuko to the wall. Iroh hustled to his nephew, hanging like a curtain, a brown bottle in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"No!" Zuko screamed. "You can't make me do this!" But Uncle had much more experience than the young lord.

Wrenching his nephew's mouth open with the spoon he dumped the contents of the entire bottle into his mouth and clamped it shut to avoid him from spitting it out. Zuko's eyes widened in disbelief. Flames started to sprout from his ears when Katara suddenly pinched his nose, hindering his ability to breathe.

"Swallow." She commanded. Zuko grimaced but obeyed. Katara smirked and released her hold, chuckling as Zuko gagged on the awful aftertaste of the potion. "Good boy, the medicine wasn't that bad, was it?" He could only glare at her and pointed an accusing finger at his uncle.

_Damn you. Damn you all._

**Chapter 3: I Want You**

Aang was bored. Completely bored out of his mind and listened to his companion's running commentary on their surroundings of the fire nation palace. As he caught up on some Zzs's, she would be his eyes. Haha, he had just made a joke! Unable to contain it, he whispered into Toph's ear and she groaned.

"You're an idiot."

Only two more hours to wait until the proceedings started. Oh joy.

Drifting in and out of blissful unconsciousness, the earth bender's voice raised a notch higher as they walked past a pillar on their way to the conference rooms.

"Hey Twinkletoes, I didn't know those two were so familiar."

The bald-headed lad turned his gaze in the direction that Toph tilted her head towards. Katara and Zuko were huddled together behind a gigantic gold column, their foreheads touching as they conspired over a piece of paper.

The edge of her mouth quirked upwards and Aang replied,

"I didn't know either."

**Chapter 4: Somebody to Love**

"You're back again," he stated. Zuko didn't bother looking up from his desk full of paperwork at the figure standing in the doorway. "What is it? The third time today?" The humour in his voice did not carry over too well with her and Katara crossed her arms.

"I got a message from Sokka asking for me right away. He wants to get married." The Fire Lord's head rose slowly to meet her eyes.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"I have to go help him."

"He can help himself. Sokka should ask what's-her-name instead."

"Suki," she answered, walking over to where Zuko was in the office, leaning languidly in his chair. "He wants to propose to her."

"He wants to what?"

"Get married, Zuko. People do that."

Scratching his head irritably, Zuko rubbed his face with his hands feeling quite tired from today's events. Nothing but paperwork and now this. "How long will you be gone this time?" The candles on the desk flickered uncertainly and he weaved his fingers around the small flame.

"Stop that, you'll burn yourself."

He snorted derisively. "How long?"

"At least two months, before the frost melts," her eyebrows narrowed when he snorted again, "okay, maybe three. I don't know, I've never done this before! What do you expect me to do, draw up a schedule telling you when I'm eating dinner, doing paperwork and feeding the animals?!"

"It's nice to know once in a while, I hardly see you anymore."

"It's called _work_, Zuko." The tone of her voice signalled that she was on the verge of being downright pissed at him. If she got really mad, he knew that she'd high tail it out of here without saying goodnight and Zuko didn't like seeing Katara frown so often.

"Just tell me when you expect to be back. Use the ambassador seal to get first priority just so I can know."

"You know I can't do that, it'll be lying."

"I'm just asking you this one thing, Katara." Standing up, he weaved his way around the desk and placed his arms on her shoulders. "Please, just this once."

**Chapter 5: Light of Day**

A shrug of her shoulders told him that it was okay to put his shirt back on. Pushing himself off the bed, Zuko mentally burned Katara's silhouette into his mind, liking the way her hips curved as she focused on the stack of papers in her hands that happened to be his medical record. The glow of dawn crept through the window behind her, making her glow like a firefly.

She grunted as she wrote brief notes on the page, chewing on her lip in mild concentration.

"When the summer's over, is it a good time to travel?" He watched her hand drop to her side and twirl the quill in small circles.

"You should leave the first or second week of the new season. Are you going somewhere?" He opted to leave out the word "again." Leaving, she was always leaving and although she came back, Zuko was never sure when. Some days, it drove him crazy not knowing where he stood in her life.

"I don't know yet." As much as he wanted to hold her, he didn't, not this little firefly.

Katara was free to go wherever she wished but he was confined to his country. His desire to travel and see the world was quenched during the years he had hunted down the Avatar and dwindled down as his role of Fire Lord came to his full possession. When would she be ready to throw off the traveler's cloak and decide to plant her feet into the ground? How ironic was it that she came from the water tribes, a people born of the moving waters?

"You never know anything." Briefly turning around, he saw only the top of her forehead and regretted saying the words.

_Take me with you,_ he pleaded inside his head. _I want to know what it's like on your part of the world. Don't tell me about your sunrises; show it to me. Show me that I'm not just someone who you can fall back on._

"Tell me, how can someone tell if the summer is over?" Inhaling through his nose, the morning sun had never felt so cold. He replied,

"When the leaves change colour, when the people harvest their crops and when the waterbender decides to leave the man who loves her."

**Chapter 6: Beautiful Creature**

Katara pulled the blankets closer to her face and wished she could remain in bed for just a little longer. She was heading home to the Southern Water Tribe where Sokka and Suki were.

"It's about time; he's been waiting too long."

The past few weeks she had been talking, eating, thinking about nothing but her family and the customs of the her people and how they would handle Suki. Rambling thoughts weaved their way into Katara's mind, babbling like a brook on a spring morning.

But how would Suki handle the change? Would she bring her own people but what about her warrior's duty? But Sokka was a warrior too and they made such a good couple that it almost made her jealous.

The more she thought about it, the more her thoughts drifted away from her brother and towards her. Where did she stand in all of this? What was her role and how would she take it? Now seventeen, would she soon become engaged like Sokka? Would her father and her brother take her aside and say, "Now Katara, you must think of making babies!" Would she even consent to marrying a man whose only show of devotion was a carved necklace?

Somehow, it really didn't matter.

But his words - Zuko's words haunted her mind. Summer was over and fall was here. Already she missed the fire nation and its people. She missed Lieutenant Jee and Uncle Iroh and she missed Zuko.

An unintended sigh escaped her lips.

It was a comforting thought to think about him at least once a day. And every time she confessed to herself that she missed the firebender with the scar, the more it felt commonplace to think about him.

She missed his snide remarks and his stubbornness, the way his topknot would whip around when he got irritated with her. She had healed so many of his wounds that she knew his body in ways that only a lover could.

Katara blushed. _Lover._ Did she love Zuko? Could she, a companion of the Avatar and a waterbender, fall in love with her one-time enemy of the fire nation? It was all push and pull, give and take, and the young woman found it easy to say that yes, she did have feelings for Zuko.

"I think I love you." Often she said these words in the dark of night, bringing her fingers to her lips to realize how naturally they rolled off her tongue. She closed her eyes, imagined saying them to Zuko and giggled. He'd be surprised for sure.

His eyes would go all wide in disbelief and then she'd run to him and he'd catch her in his arms. Laughing wildly he'd lift her high into the air, her braid swinging freely before setting her down and kissing her and asking her to stay.

**Chapter 7: Give Back the Love**

It wasn't their first kiss nor would it be the last. But when Katara returned from the South Pole and straight into Zuko's arms it was easy for him to believe that she had never left at all.

"Katara!" he shouted.

"Hey handsome, miss me?"

"You took too long," he mused, placing his hands on her shoulders and taking a good look at her. She had grown thinner and he made a mental note to tell Uncle, who knew the remedy to everything of course.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" He kissed her cheek,

"Nothing. I thought about you every day you were gone."

They would meet again later, on a starless night. His red robes surpassed the brilliance of candlelight while her blue gown subdued the shadows around her. In his eyes, Katara was glowing again like a firefly, possessing an inner flame that couldn't be put out.

"So what happens now?" he asked when one of his hands encircled her waist and her head leaned against his shoulder.

They stood on a palace balcony. The city outside the walls glowed with the lanterns of the upcoming festival of the final harvest before winter set in. It was a breathtaking sight, the little dots of coloured lights reminded her of a maze that started at the palace and spread on and on, straight into the horizon. No wonder there were no stars that evening, they were all here in front of them.

"Nothing. We just pick up where we left off." Zuko hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. It wasn't the answer he was looking for but he would be content for now. He'd cherish the days that she was here with him.

"And where's that?"

"Right here."

Out of nowhere, Katara squeezed his ass.

**Chapter 8: Not That Man**

Rumours didn't hurt them when they reached their ears. They only served to make the fire burn brighter, like oxygen to a flame. There would always be problems in a relationship, secret or not, royalty or peasant. People continued to live and gossip about others and with his ruling and her traveling, there was much to talk about.

But when word carried over from the fire nation to the water tribes, a frown creased his face. Zuko glared at the warrior who stood in front of him and refused to take back what he so freely offered. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Katara would have asked him to do this but he was also doing this for himself. His hand remained outstretched towards Sokka.

"I'm not your friend, Fire Lord Zuko. And you will not touch my sister again."

**Chapter 9: Show No Mercy**

Katara shut the door of her room and leaned against it. Sometimes, just sometimes, she wished that her brother could be a little more understanding of her.

He knew what it was like to fall in love, what it was like to lose someone very close to you, but why couldn't he understand that she was in love with Zuko? She had confided in him her future intentions but instead of listening, he just stared at her in disbelief and told her that it was crazy. She was crazy. It was just a little stupid girly crush and Zuko couldn't love her the way he said that he did. It was all in her head.

The tears kept falling down her pale cheeks.

_How could you? How could you?_

"Katara?" a voice hailed her from the other side of the door. "Can I come in?"

"No!" she screamed, banging her fists into the floor.

The nerve of that guy. Never had she been more ashamed to call him "brother."

Who else would give her flowers? Who encouraged her to continue her healing studies when so many people objected to it, including herself? Who had told her that she had the right to choose between whoever took first priority in her heart, even if the two most important men of her life were her dad and her sibling?

Zuko had smiled and kissed her and said that he would be content with being third place. They bickered, they fought, and they worked together to stop other people from fighting. He made her smile like no one could.

Her mouth formed a twisted smile, trying to find something to hold on to before another crying fit consumed her. Zuko loved her; she just knew it.

Sokka's voice resonated from the other side, still pleading with Katara to let him in. He'd try to understand this time, really he would. Just please, open the door. It's been almost two hours.

"Go away!" she shouted, completely heartbroken. "Leave me alone!"

Sokka pressed his forehead to the door in defeat as he heard his baby sister cry; knowing that he alone was the reason for her tears.

"I'm sorry, sis. I'm sorry…"

**Chapter 10: Out of the Blue**

"She's the one." Zuko tugged off the mask and collapsed face-first onto his bed. Heat rose to his cheeks and tickled his nose, making him sneeze. Rolling onto his back, he dropped the disguise onto the floor and stretched an arm across the bed.

"I wonder what it's like to be in the same bed with her." He entertains the thought before deciding that would be nice. But it would be even better if he could both fall asleep and wake up beside her.

Does she sleep with her braid? Her hair was much longer now. Does she bathe before bed? He could order someone to prepare a rose-scented bath for them. Is she an early riser like him or does she like to stay up? What about pillow talk?

Stripping off his outer clothes, Zuko pulled the sheets over himself and touched the spot next to him on the bed.

"Katara."

He could see her right there; her hands tucked under the pillows, her eyes half-open and on the verge of falling into a peaceful sleep. She would yawn and say, "Goodnight, love."

Zuko felt his heart swell within the cage of his chest, overwhelmed and overflowing with thoughts of her. It felt right, as if a part of him was completed when she was around. But it wasn't just that, it was an emotion called love that he was glad to have found again.

"I wonder."

**Chapter 11: Not Enough**

She kisses his forehead, his eyes, his lips and tangles up his hair with her fingers. His pulse races as he adjusts his hold, favourably pinned between this woman and the solid wall. He murmurs her name as one of his hands runs down the length of her thigh slowly, which he knows she likes by the arch of her back. Her half-lidded eyes and erratic breathing tell him enough. All he can do is moan with pleasure. With her lips pressed against his for support he sinks lower to the ground, pulling her down with him.

They fall onto the grass again, bodies slick with sweat and he kisses her mouth. Grabbing her arms and raising them above her head, he gives her a knowing smile. He whispers into her ear and slowly she closes her eyes, letting her body relax.

He whines in protest when she teases him that there will be another time, another place, maybe another love affair. The sky grows lighter and the stars eventually wink out of existence. Dawn approaches and the palace slowly comes to life again. Day or night, what did it matter to a lover? Everything.

**Chapter 12: Round and Round**

"Morning," he says to her as they cross paths in the hallways.

"I was meditating this morning when I found this and thought that it might be yours. Don't forget it next time."

He hands several flowers to her, all tied up with a nice ribbon and she accepts it, thanking him for returning what she had misplaced the day before.

"You're welcome. Excuse me, I have to go." He walks past her and pushes the next available door that he comes across.

She thinks it's funny that he should go through all that trouble of presenting her some panda lilies.

**Chapter 13: Sweet Black Air**

"It's not funny, Twinkletoes!" Toph shouted as Katara held her hand, coaxing her into the waters. "It's not like I can _see_ where I'm putting my feet!"

Aang continued to laugh and clutches his sides in amusement. Using his airbending, he jumped into the air above the two girls and dived into the lake, startling Toph greatly. Without her heels touching ground, she couldn't sense him and that fact made her more afraid than just the swimming lesson alone.

"Aang!" she called, whipping her head around, "Aang you jerk, where are you?" To Katara's relief, the bald-headed youth emerged right beside them grinning from ear to ear, before reaching for Toph's arms.

"I'll take it from here, Katara." The waterbender nodded; glad to be free from the girl's iron grip.

"Hey Katara," Sokka shouted from the shore, "We're here." In the process of removing his shoes, Zuko waved at her and she waved back, her body bobbing up and down with the waters.

"Want some company?" the firebender shouted, knowing full well that his girlfriend's brother was right beside him. Sokka scowled but hesitated to throw his boomerang. He still wasn't buddy with the idea of the Fire Lord courting his baby sister, but hey he promised her that he would try to be civil. He wasn't that bad of a guy but it would still take some getting used to.

"Keep it a childproof level, Hotshot," he warned Zuko.

"Hey, isn't that Suki over there?" Throwing his shirt on the ground, the warrior snorted.

"Yeah right, that one doesn't work on me." The former rolled his eyes. All the while a green-glad figure stomped her way towards them.

"Sokka! I'm standing right here and you're not saying hello to me!"

"Suki!" Throwing his hands into the air at the arrival of his betrothed, Sokka attempted to hug her.

Brushing past him and rolling her eyes, the Kyoshi warrior stepped in front of Zuko and bowed towards him. The gesture was sincere and honourable and everything in her voice told him that she was truly glad to see him here on her island.

"I'm glad you could make it, Katara was telling me that you haven't traveled since you become Fire Lord."

"It's a beautiful place, the fire nation doesn't have forests like this anymore, and our lakes are all man made." Despite the heavy makeup, Suki beamed so widely that he could see how Sokka was so proud of her.

"Will you stay for the wedding? It's still a month away."

"Yes, I plan to."

**Chapter 14: To Be Loved (To Love Back):**

"I can't believe it." He nodded in reply to her comment as they stand beside each other. "I can't believe that it's done."

Katara's voice wavered a little as they watched Sokka and Suki hold hands. Her brother was married now. Sokka, the sarcastic, meat-loving, boomerang-throwing idiot that was her brother was now a grown man who had the most wonderful woman in the world standing beside him.

"Stop sighing, Katara. You'll make the elders suspicious." She looked up at him and wiggled her eyebrows.

"I have nothing to hide."

"You're going to miss him." Much to her annoyance, Zuko smirked when she sighed again. But he was right. She was going to miss her brother and the bond that they shared. At first she was a little bit jealous of all the attention everyone gave to the couple but seeing them like this, so complete, she couldn't blame them.

"Makes me wish there was someone to make me smile like that."

Katara couldn't help but roll her eyes at Zuko's comment, which in return smirked even wider. All day he stuck to her side and made his own commentary with Katara as his only audience.

"Pfft, so what happens now Fire Lord?" Toph and Aang were talking to Sokka. Suki was engaged in conversation with Gran-Gran and her new father-in-law. Sokka laughed and both he and Aang bowed to each other before Toph jumped up and hugged him. Ruffling her head affectionately, the earthbender placed her hands on her hips in defiance and grinned at the warrior.

"Katara," Zuko's voice interjected her thoughts. "Where are we going?"

"What do you mean? We're going to the reception."

"No," his voice took on a serious one and he looked down at her, catching her eyes entirely. "Where are we going?"

Katara knew exactly what he meant this time. He was talking about what the future held for them. A genuine smile graced her face and she reached for his hand.

"I'm not sure. But I think we're going the right way."

* * *

**Bonus Ending:**_ (Just because this one is pure crack)_

"Aang, come quickly! Sokka's having a heart attack!" The Avatar literally shot up into the air and followed Katara to where the incident occurred near the stables, which was fortunately not too far away. A small crowd gathered around the injured party.

He identified Zuko, Toph and a man with a green headband. They were all staring at something on the floor that moaned and rolled around in obvious agony.

"Katara, what's wrong with him?" the youth asked. He didn't know much about treating injuries, wasn't that her specialty? And why was nobody helping him?

Mournful wailing echoed throughout the stables and Zuko rubbed his face furiously with his hands, pulling down his cheeks in exaggeration. "If he doesn't die soon like he says, I'll be the one to kill him!"

"Aang, we just told Sokka that we're engaged." All eyes in the crowd, including Toph's, whipped their way.

"But Katara, I love you!" he exclaimed. Apparently, he wasn't the only one with unrequited feelings. Haru let out a painful cry and fell to the floor beside Sokka.

"Agni Kai! I'll kill you all!" Zuko yelled, pulling at his topknot in frustration.

This was going to be one of those days, Uncle had told him so. The woman's family would test his worthiness, integrity and patience. Well, his patience was running thin. Uncle laughed behind him and patted his nephew's back, which made him only more irate. Well, the old man wasn't the one who wanted to marry Katara! How could he laugh at a time like this!

They haven't even gotten around to telling their fathers yet. No doubt they would have heart attacks too, and then maybe all three of them (maybe four or five, what's the difference?) can throw veils over their heads and wail their laments around the palace dropping wilted flowers in their path.

It would be wonderfully tragic.

Katara winced at the sight of the two figures hugging each other and weeping miserably in the dirt. She massaged her forehead.

It was definitely one of those days.

* * *

**I****MPORTANT:**

It has come to my attention that several reviewers are not reading my Author's Notes beforehand. I have had several comments regarding "Castles" claiming that it was too short and disjointed. This is a drabble-series, the challenge it was done for specifically called for DRABBLES. So please, no more comments on the chapters being too short, they're meant to be that way.


End file.
